Ulster skipper Johann Muller is optimistic his side can "compete with everyone in Europe" ahead of the new season.

The province reached the final of the RaboDirect PRO12 and crashed out of the Heineken Cup at the quarter-final stage last season, but Muller is impressed with their strength in depth and he is optimistic Ulster have the infrastructure in place to allow them to go for silverware on both the domestic and European stage.

"It's a really exciting time for us. There are so many other guys that are pushing for positions," Muller told the Irish Independent. "All of a sudden there are three No 9s that can play, three No 10s who can play. There are probably about six centres who can play.

"You can basically choose two international backlines at any given time and that's the exciting thing from a coaching point of view. With the quality we do have and the depth we have, we can compete with everyone in Europe and it's really exciting."